In high production welding environments today, the weight of a consumable welding package is often tracked as the consumable welding wire from the consumable welding package is consumed during a welding process by a welding system. When the weight approaches a low level (indicating that the amount of consumable welding wire in the package is running low), an operator of the welding system can be warned that the consumable welding package will need to be replenished soon. When the welding package is replenished, the operator should reset the weight value in the welding system to the full, known weight of the welding package. In this manner, the welding system can again track the weight of the welding package from the replenished value to lower values as the welding process continues and welding wire is consumed. However, sometimes the operator may not reset the weight value when the welding package is replenished because the operator may forget, or the operator may become distracted. If the weight value is not reset, then the amount of welding wire in the welding package cannot be properly tracked and the operator will not be properly warned when the welding wire in the welding package runs low again. Unacceptable delays in the welding process can result from such improper tracking of the consumable welding package.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, and proposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems and methods with embodiments of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.